Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As a previous speaker said, lines were drawn on maps that did not really take into account the people in those regions. The Tuareg are moving into that region. One of the worrying comments is the suggestion that the French intervention was carried out under UN guidelines. Will the UN support this intervention? I have listened carefully to the Tánaiste's response that intervention by other African nations is welcome. However, the French intervention could be seen as a colonial action.

Many of these al-Qaeda-related organisations want to engage the West; they want to engage in conflict with the Crusaders. This is the language they are using. The Malian Government came to power as a result of a coup. I do not know enough about the region but I am concerned about the possibility that other countries and people could be dragged into this conflict.

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